Two archers pt 3

After getting by the large barbarian, the two archers faced only a few more of the horde before they were given a free path. This was worrisome because that meant the horde had something planned. There was trap, and they were about to trigger it.

Up ahead, the sound of drums rang through the forest. Still clearing the cobwebs, the archer turned toward his companion, “Drums?” He looked puzzled.

“Something more dangerous,” she smiled as they broke through a clearing. In front of them stood a countless umber of the horde. Each one banging on his shield, no leader visible. She knocked an arrow and let fly hoping to distract the gathering crowd. Instead, the pincer closed around them, and they were surrounded by dozens of men beating their shields in time.

“I’ve got three arrows left,” she said.

“I’m out, and I left my dagger back with that big guy.”

She handed him a dagger. “We both know I am the better shot.”

He pursed his lips. He hated to admit it, but she was right. He had practiced a long time, but she was a natural. “What are they waiting for?”

There was a crash in the woods that kept coming closer. The big man was back.

“Him.”

The archer hoped she knew what he was thinking as he shouted, “Not quite big enough to blot out the sun. You have got to eat more.” The archer noticed she was circling. The big man paid no attention to her.

The archer charged.

The big man raised his axe and swung.

The archer stopped and let the weapon pass. This gave him an open. He stepped in close and jabbed with the dagger. The blade wasn’t strong enough to penetrate the armor, and there was precious little of this big man that wasn’t covered in hide and boiled leather. The archer was going to have to get a bigger blade.

The haft of the battle axe caught the archer in arm and shoulder causing his right side to go numb. The dagger dropped from his hand. He couldn’t see her, but he knew she was just waiting for her chance. The archer punched at the big man with no effect. It would have been funny if it hadn’t hurt so much. The big man swung down with the axe, using the handle to batter the archer to his knees. The next blow would be the killing one.

An arrow sprouted from the big man’s eye, and he dropped. The archer heard the crowd roar and noticed an arrow protruding from his chest. “Nice placement,” he thought. Blood flowed down the shaft and dripped off the tip in a pulse that approximated the rhythm of the shield pounders. Darkness closed around him.

“We could never have made it. It could’ve never happened,” she said from behind him. “Sometimes, you can’t fight the crowd. You just need to let it go.”